Skate 4

Skateboarding fans rejoice, the highly-anticipated Skate 4 is finally here. This latest addition to the franchise brings many changes to the table, but fear not, the series' most beloved aspect - its innovative twin-stick control scheme - remains intact.

One of the most significant changes in Skate 4 is the shift to an always-online model. Unlike its predecessors, this title is free-to-play, which raises questions about how this decision might affect the game's overall quality. However, fans will be happy to hear that despite the shift in business model, the game retains its outstanding gameplay.

Feel the Flow

Long-time fans of the Skate franchise know that the game is one of the most realistic interpretations of the hobby in the virtual medium. Well, I say "realistic," but I think we all spent countless hours in Skate 2's Hall of Meat seeing how many fractures our character could sustain. Yeah, those were the times.

Still, Skate 4 keeps the fabled twin-stick controls that made the series popular in the first place. For those of us who grew up playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, the change from the usual arcadey gameplay might be tough at first, but it becomes insanely rewarding once you get the gist of it.

A New Era

As I mentioned before, Skate 4 marks a stark departure from the usual Skate business model. The previous entries have all been full-priced releases, with content meant to reflect that fact. Even though they were games published by EA, the games come from an era when "microtransactions" were still a novel concept for most players.

Now, Skate 4 will become the first free-to-play title in the series, following the usual games-as-a-service model we've come to expect from modern games. What this means for the game as a whole remains uncertain, but, as long as the core mechanics of the Skate saga remain untouched, players can at least expect frequent updates that will keep the game feeling fresh for a longer time.

A World of Fun

The series has always been known for its "questionable" architecture, and by that, I mean that you can find skate ramps in the middle of essentially every park and downtown area in Skate 3. The same applies to Skate 4, but there's a much clearer focus on making the game feel like a sandbox than ever before.

Additionally, new parkour moves have been added to make traversing the game's map feel much more dynamic than before. Gone are the awkward controls that once used to plague the game every time you stepped away from your board. Now, your character can jump farther and run even faster, making the game feel just as fun on wheels and on foot.

Pros

• Retains the innovative twin-stick control scheme from previous entries
• The always-online model provides frequent updates and keeps the game feeling fresh
• New parkour moves and focus on sandbox gameplay make traversing the game's map more dynamic and fun

Cons

• The new gameplay model could introduce a lot of unwanted microtransactions

The undisputed king of skateboarding games is back in the long-awaited Skate 4. The twist, however, is that this new entry in the series differs vastly from what we've seen so far from EA's innovative skateboarding simulator – and most of the changes made to the formula have been for the best.

While the previous games in the franchise have been released as full-priced titles, Skate 4 joins the long list of games to follow the "games as a service" business model – which essentially means that this is the first Skate game that's free-to-play. What does this mean in terms of gameplay? Let's find out!

Same Old Tricks

One of the reasons why games like Skate 2 became such different gaming experiences compared to titles like the legendary Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, is that EA's skateboarding game used an innovative twin-stick control that allowed players complete control over the feet of their virtual skateboarders.

That same control scheme returns in Skate 4. The left stick controls in which direction your skater is moving, while the right stick is used for ollies and flips. More complex tricks can be achieved by using the bumper buttons to grab your board, but the series has always seemed to prefer street skating rather than gravity-defying verticality.

Long-time fans of the series will surely be pleased to hear that the control scheme they fell in love with is back, which means that the more notable differences lie in Skate 4's new business model. Sure, the visuals have also been re-touched and brought up to the standards of this generation of consoles, but don't let that distract you from the fact that we're getting a new Skate game that's almost completely free. Keyword: almost.

Skate as a Service

EA has long been reviled as a company that favors microtransactions in games that, for all intents and purposes, don't need them. That's how we ended up with a Dead Space 3 that looked and played nothing like its predecessors, and that might also explain why Skate 4 is now free.

It would be all too easy to dismiss this decision as just a tactic to force players to purchase items that would give them an advantage over the rest. The good news is that that isn't the case in Skate 4. As far as we can tell, every purchasable item is purely cosmetic.

Sure, you might be missing out on some of the more attractive customization options, but that won't affect your overall experience playing Skate 4 if all you care about is the game's outstanding gameplay.

It's great to see such a beloved franchise return to the spotlight after skipping an entire console generation. Now that the Pro Skater franchise might also be considered effectively dormant, there might not be a better time to release Skate 4 into the world.

The good news doesn't end there, however. Skate 4 will also mark the franchise's arrival on PC. That's right: not only is the game free-to-play, but it might also end up being the largest online community of skateboarders a game has ever seen. Things sure look promising for Skate fans.

Pros

• Faster, more responsive gameplay
• Tons of content creation options and multiplayer modes
• Same old control scheme that was so well-received by series' veterans

Cons

• Always online and "games as a service" mentality might bother some long-time Skate fans